Subscribe via email

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Media reports say the gang distributed cocaine, heroin, hashish and narcotic pills from Asia and South America across Europe. The reports claim further that the gang used drug mules to bring the drugs into Spain.The gang is said to be controlled by a couple based in Santander, and that most of those arrested are from Tanzania. Spanish police started investigations in May 2008 after an Argentinian man was arrested at Barcelona airport with over a kilo of cocaine in 72 pellets in his stomach.A total of 43.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 5.8kg of heroin and an unspecified amount of hashish were seized in the operation, and authorities said the arrested suspects will be slapped with charges ranging from conspiracy, drug trafficking, smuggling, forgery, and usurpation of civil status.Reports from that country say the gang appears to be an organized network of mostly Tanzanian nationals, with horizontal structures and cells acting independently but in coordinated fashion, united by ties of kinship and fellow vendors who had settled in Argentina, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.The gang is said to have taken advantage of ‘people from their own country’ and lured them with the promise of earning money, using them as mules to transport drugs hidden in their luggage or objects into Spain.In August last year, the police arrested a member of the network as he was going to Valencia to carry out a transaction which involved half a kilo of heroin. Subsequently, the law enforcers arrested a Japanese man with 4.5 kilos of heroin in Barcelona.And finally, in several homes in Barcelona the police arrested three people including the suspected head of the organization - a Tanzanian citizen - and a Spanish woman, both residents of Santander, from where they are believed to have led operations.Contacted for comment late last week, the Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations in Tanzania, Peter Kivuyo said he was not aware of the reports but pledged to consult the international police (Interpol) for further details.

Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings in Tijuana.Two reputed leaders of a drug cartel that waged a years-long campaign of terror in Tijuana were arrested Monday in the Baja California port city of La Paz, according to U.S. authorities.Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants of a gang blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings that has caused many residents to flee the border city.The arrests by Mexican federal police, coming a month after the capture of alleged cartel leader Teodoro Garcia Simental, are the latest blows against the gang. Authorities feared Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental, Teodoro's younger brother, were planning to reignite a gang war for control of Tijuana's drug trafficking routes.Lopez Uriarte was known for his narrow escapes and flair for self-promotion: His nickname, "Muletas," or crutches, stands for the trail of disabled people he's left behind, and he outfitted his crew with uniforms featuring a patch designed with a skull and crutches crossed underneath.At least 1,400 people have been slain in Tijuana drug violence since the beginning of 2008.

Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat while the same offense in Denmark only gives 30 days in the brig. Politicians are demanding harsher punishment.

Khat, also known as quaat, is a substance made from euphoria-inducing buds and is especially popular in Somalia. The substance is chewed to achieve a narcotic sense of bliss. Illegal in most countries khat is addictive and widely used within Somali communities in Denmark.

The Social Democrats are adamant that the punishments for khat related offences are too lax and need to be on the same level as those handed out in neighbouring Sweden.‘The Øresund Bridge is too poorly manned on the Danish side, making it easy to smuggle drugs and weapons,’ said spokeswoman, Karen Hækkerup.‘And it doesn’t help that Khat smugglers receive such mild sentences in Denmark. The government must address this and we want to be a part of raising the punishment for Khat to equal that of Sweden,’ she added.Khat smuggling has been linked with the financing of the Somali terrorist organization, al-Shabaab and Berlingske newspaper recently established the importance of Denmark in the Khat smuggling industry. But Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen was confident that the police were focused on khat smuggling and said he was strongly considering the prospects of stiffening the sentences handed down for smuggling the narcotic into Denmark. ‘I take a serious look at anything involved in the financing of terrorism and it’s a problem if money obtained from crime in Denmark is sent to Somalia and al-Shabaab since terrorism in Somalia has ramifications for western Europe. I don’t have any qualms about tougher punishments. Not only is it a criminal milieu, there is a lot of illegal money involved, and many families are devastated due to an addiction that forces them out of work and education. So hopefully we can toughen up the sentences in Denmark.’ said Mikkelsen.

Matthew Feavyour was found guilty in September 2009 for his role in the importation of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of £270,000 hidden in air conditioning units. Andrew Rickard and Gary Moore pleaded guilty at the start of the trial. Birmingham crown court sentenced the three men on February 4 for their conspiracy to supply the Class B drug cannabis. Detectives busted the gang's drug smuggling scam in 2009 following a lengthy police operation codenamed Stagnate. Police officers intercepted the consignment smuggled into the UK from the Netherlands on April 2009. The recovered drugs were concealed in eight boxes containing air conditioning unit access doors, which were specially constructed for the job. Some 380 'soap bar' blocks weighing 94.8kg in total were recovered. Moore had ordered the manufacture of air conditioning units with hollow panels, where the cannabis could be hidden while transporting it from Holland. Feavyour was sentenced to six years, Moore was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail and Rickard got four years for trafficking cannabis from Holland. Operation Oscilllate: Heroin smugglers jailed In a separate police operation (Operation Oscillate) two men have been jailed following an attempt to smuggle more than 1.5m worth of heroin into the UK by hiding it in the packaging of adiabatic air coolers. In July 2007, a consignment of class A drugs was intercepted by customs officers at Birmingham Airport. The heroin was concealed in the pallets carrying the coolers supplied by a Turkish firm and bound for a freight forwarding firm in the West Midlands. Thirty packages of heroin weighing almost 30kg were seized. Each of the adiabatic air-coolers were valued at between £2,000-£5,000. The police recovered eight out of 19 units that came into the UK via the same route. Eleven units are still missing. Police say the units could have been dumped, sold for scrap or sold on. Two men were sentenced at Nottingham Crown court in December 2009 to 18 and 25 years for their part in the heroin smuggling. Police are still seeking a third man.

Delhi court has awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment to two Nigerian nationals for possessing 400gm of cocaine and heroin in their tented premises in Madangir in 2005. "Convicts are involved in the trafficking of cocaine and heroin. Illegal trade of such a high quantity would have adverse impact on the lives of uncountable persons," special judge Sanjiv Jain said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on convicts Saika Marong and Mohamed Wissely holding them guilty under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. A third accused, Roy Alphonse Chinguwile, was declared a proclaimed offender during the trial after he jumped the bail granted to him on the ground that he was suffering from cancer.

Blair Dorner of Cameron ISD, 30 miles southeast of Temple, was pulled over Wednesday in Taylor, a town in Williamson County.Cameron Superintendent Rodney Fausett tells News Channel 25, Dorner has been placed on administrative leave until their internal investigation is completed.The teacher is out of jail on a $11,000 bond.

Police in Vantaa have uncovered one of the largest cocaine distribution rings in Finland. A total of fifteen suspects have been questioned during the investigations, five of whom are now in detention. One of the prime suspects is said to have trained restaurant security personnel. In addition to Finnish suspects, the ring includes nationals from Nigeria, Gambia, France and Syria. The gang is thought to have smuggled around 1.5 kilograms of cocaine last year. This is equivalent to some 86,000 doses with a street value of around 150,000 euros. Cocaine was packed into egg-sized containers which the smugglers had swallowed and then brought into the country. House searches led to the confiscation of narcotics from several locations amounting to 350 grams. Police say this is one of the largest ever seizures in Finland and equivalent to some 20,000 doses. However, they believe it only represents about ten percent of the overall consignment of cocaine. Security Trainer Is A Prime Suspect Among the prime suspects is a Finn involved in the security sector, who is believed to have acted as a wholesaler in the illicit dealing. Police confiscated a large sum of cash from him along with cocaine and a 9 mm. Glock handgun of the type also used by law enforcers. He was involved in the licensed training of restaurant security personnel. The cocaine was sold in restaurants in the city centre of Helsinki and at partiesProsecutions are anticipated later this month.

Benjimen G. Chaltry, 35; Jacob L. Martin, 26; and Robert J. Rogers, 31; were charged Monday with felony counts of possession of 10 to 50 grams of heroin with intent to deliver, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. All three remain in jail on cash bonds: $50,000 for Martin, $45,000 for Rogers and $30,000 for Chaltry.“(Chaltry) was going to Chicago to purchase heroin that was then going to be sold in Marinette County,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Urmanski said while arguing for the high cash bonds. “It’s indicated this is not the first time there was a trip to Chicago to make a purchase.”According to Adams:Nelson was doing traffic enforcement on northbound Interstate 43 near the southern county line when he noticed a car with several equipment violations and two occupants not wearing seatbelts. He then discovered the driver, Chaltry, had a revoked license.After Martin lied about his name, Nelson searched the car and its occupants. The heroin was found in the car and in the passengers’ possessions, including 60 baggies that were stuffed in Rogers’ shoe.Adams said each of the baggies, called bindles, typically sells for $80 to $100.All three men are also charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession, and Martin and Rogers are charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Martin also faces a count of obstructing an officer.Martin is wanted in Brown County, where a judge issued a warrant in June after he failed to appear on a charge of felony marijuana possession, online court records show.Rogers, who was strapped into his chair during a video court appearance from jail, is the only one of the three with a felony record, though all three have multiple misdemeanor convictions, according to court records. Rogers has been convicted of felony burglary and theft, as well as misdemeanors including damage to property, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia; Chaltry has three drunken driving convictions and one marijuana possession conviction; and Martin’s prior convictions include resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Aaron Diaz, 31,and Steven Pedraza, 22, of Hartford, Conn., were both taken into custody Sunday, according to state police.The incident began after State Police Trooper Brendhan Shugrue had stopped a 2009 Jeep Cherokee on Interstate 91 north of Exit 16 for a traffic violation, but later learned neither Diaz nor Pedraza had the authority to be driving the vehicle, according to state police.Diaz, the driver of the vehicle, had allegedly struggled with police as they attempted to arrest him and fled the scene on foot, according to state police. While running, Diaz allegedly threw a bag containing 500 bags of heroin, according to state police, which troopers recovered.With the assistance of a state police helicopter and search dogs, state police were eventually able to locate Diaz on Westfield Road and Hillside Avenue, and place him under arrest. He is facing charges of using a motor vehicle without authority, trafficking in heroin, a subsequent offense of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate narcotic laws, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, according to state police.Some area residents took notice of the circling police helicopter and troopers in their neighborhood during the manhunt."Not sure what is going on, but police said they are searching for someone and to stay inside our house. This neighborhood is not an area of Holyoke that usually has criminal activity," states Roosevelt Avenue resident Sandy Dias in an e-mail to abc40 and Fox 6 Sunday during the search.Pedraza, who had been a passenger in the vehicle, had also been arrested for using a motor vehicle without authority and conspiracy to violate narcotics laws, according to state police.Both men had been held overnight at the Northampton State Police Barracks while awaiting arraignment in Holyoke District Court Monday.

John Hill, Peter McLeod and Kevin O'Hagan were seized at Puerto Plata Airport airport as they tried to board two flights to London.Cops swooped on the trio following a tip-off from the Scottish Crime & Drug Enforcement Agency.Sources said the cocaine was destined for the Glasgow area.Colombian cocaine had a very high purity and it could have been bulked up into more than 100 kilos, netting up to £2.5million.Sources claim the trio were working for a serious organised crime group.Hill, 53, from Linlithgow, West Lothian, was booked to travel home on a Thomas Cook flight. McLeod, 25, and O'Hagan, 28, both from Glasgow, were due to return to the UK on a separate charter. Both flights were scheduled to arrive at London Gatwick Airport.Local cops had been told by the SCDEA to look out for the trio and they were snared after an x-ray machine detected 7.14 kilos of cocaine in a suitcase on February 1.The SCDEA's Allan Moffat said: "By the time this seizure hit Scotland's streets, it would have grown in volume."The purity would have decreased after dealers bulked it with adulterants - some of them dangerous substances in their own right."

Friday, 5 February 2010

44-year-old Richard Crayton of Mosinee charged with the distribution of heroin, which resulted in the death of an individual from use of the substance. If convicted, Crayton faces a mandatory minimum penalty of twenty years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.The charge against Crayton results from an investigation conducted by the Merrill Police Department. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reinhard.

Johnnie Stephens, 28, New Washington, as he left the Polaris Mall in Columbus.Troopers found 8.8 grams of heroin, valued at more than $1,200, and an additional 10 balloons of the drug in the vehicle.Officials say Stephens purchased the heroin from two Columbus-area drug runners who Delaware County detectives also arrested.The sellers had 85 balloons of heroin, a Toshiba laptop and $2,400 in cash. Officials say Stephens purchased the drugs from the two sellers and paid with cash and the laptop, which was likely stolen.Huron County Sheriff’s Sgt. Annette McLaughlin said her department has worked with other agencies for several months to track Stephen’s whereabouts.Stephens will face felony charges of possession of heroin in Delaware County after the highway patrol sends the substance to its lab for testing, McLaughlin said. The degree of the felony depends on the weight of the drug.Stephens has served time for similar drug offenses in the past and sells drugs to heroin users in the Willard and Plymouth areas, officials said.

1970s teen idol Leif Garrett has been released from jail on a charge he carried heroin into a Los Angeles subway station.Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says the actor and singer was arrested late Monday for heroin possession and released on bond Wednesday.Whitmore says the 48-year-old was shaking and sweating.Whitmore says Garrett denied having drugs at first and allowed them to search him, then acknowledged that he had black tar heroin in his shoe.Garrett has a history of drug use, including a 2006 arrest at another Los Angeles subway stop for having heroin.He is due back in court Feb. 24.It was not immediately clear if Garrett had an attorney

Sheryl Cwele, wife of state security minister Siyabonga Cwele, is accused of conspiring with a Nigerian man to bring cocaine into South Africa by enlisting young white women as mules to travel overseas to collect the drugs."I wish to categorically state that I never knowingly participated in any drug trafficking, conspiracy or incitement to deal in drugs as set out in the indictment or at all," Cwele said yesterday in a bail application filed with the provincial high court.Cwele, a 50-year-old municipal director of health and community services, was arrested last week at her workplace. The Pietermaritzburg High Court has scheduled her bail hearing for Friday.Allegations of Cwele's drug trafficking surfaced last year after the arrest of Tessa Beetge, a South African woman caught in Brazil in June with cocaine worth almost $300,000 .Beetge's family told a South African newspaper last year that Cwele had offered to find a job for her friend and former neighbour Beetge, who is listed in the indictment.Cwele and Frank Nabolis, a Nigerian arrested last month, face charges of conspiring to traffic drugs between Turkey, South America and South Africa.Cwele's bail application said she met Nabolis through an acquaintance and agreed to help him recruit two white people to work for his company.

Ian Stephens, 41, from Aliwal Road, Battersea Rise and husband and wife Elias Hajichambi, 39 and Sharan Hajichambi, 38, from Cherrywood Lane, Morden all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class A drugs.Successful businessman John Beaumont-Griffin, 47, from Winterdown Road, Esher pleaded not guilty to the same charge and two additional charges of supplying a Class A drug but was convicted on all three counts by a jury following a trial which concluded on Friday at Kingston Crown Court.Ringleader Stephens was jailed for 10 years, Elias Hajichambi given five years and Sharan Hajichambi sentenced to two years. Beaumont-Griffin was jailed for four and half years.In addition, Beaumont-Griffin had his Aston Martin DB9, which was used to transport drugs, seized by police as it had been used in crime. Stephens also had his Cherokee Jeep confiscated.Detectives from SCIT were alerted to the conspiracy after customs officers intercepted a package destined for an address in Esher containing food items which had arrived on a British Airways flight from Guyana on April 23 last year.Two food tins containing Chinese sauce were X-rayed and drilled into and a white powder was discovered inside. The powder later turned out to be a kilogramme of cocaine with a street value of £100,000.Two days later a further package from Guyana containing two identical tins addressed to a flat in Thornton Heath were also intercepted. Inside the tins was a further kilo of cocaine.An undercover officer posing as a delivery man for the courier company delivered the first package to Beaumont-Griffin at his Esher address which was under surveillance.He was later observed taking the package in his Aston Martin to the Hajichambi’s home in Morden before leaving. A short while later Stephens arrived in his Jeep to collect it.Stephens was arrested in his vehicle shortly after leaving the property and the drugs package recovered. Sharan Hajichambi and Beaumont-Griffin were both detained at their homes shortly after.When officers searched the Hajichambi’s home they discovered a plastic bag containing a Tupperware box with white powder, two sets of electronic scales, spoon and milk tablets.They also found “dealer lists”, £2,700 in cash in a bedside drawer and a further £360 in Sharan Hajichambi’s handbag.When officers searched Stephens' home they found electronic scales, clear bags, dealer lists and a bag containing crack cocaine. In addition they found a stab proof vest and Taser stun gun.Another stun gun and travel documents to Guyana in the name of a convicted drug smuggler were found in his Jeep. Cash invoices showed Stephens had recently had £3,000 worth of upgrades carried out on his vehicle despite the fact he was on state benefits.A subsequent investigation identified a total of 19 packages coming into the UK from Guyana that are linked to the investigation. Financial records showed that since 2006, Stephens had transferred a total of £148,000 to Guyana.Detective Inspector Wendy Clay said following the case: “Stephens and his group had clearly been using the route from Guyana to Gatwick to bring in significant amounts of cocaine for their own selfish gain.“Surrey Police is committed to tackling head on the scourge of class A drugs and this case shows we will not tolerate their import, sale and supply.“The professionalism of the officers involved in the covert operation helped halt this conspiracy in its tracks and should serve as a warning to other criminal gangs that we will use all methods at our disposal to bring those responsible for importing cocaine into the country to justice.“In addition to the time they will serve in prison, both Stephens and Beaumont-Griffin have had their expensive cars taken away from them. This reinforces the message that crime doesn’t pay and if you use your vehicle whilst committing offences we will use the powers available to us to seize it.”Surrey Police will now seek a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize any available assets any of the group may have. Successful businessman John Beaumont-Griffin, 47, from Winterdown Road, Esher pleaded not guilty to the same charge and two additional charges of supplying a Class A drug but was convicted on all three counts by a jury following a trial which concluded on Friday at Kingston Crown Court.Ringleader Stephens was jailed for 10 years, Elias Hajichambi given five years and Sharan Hajichambi sentenced to two years. Beaumont-Griffin was jailed for four and half years.In addition,

Beaumont-Griffin had his Aston Martin DB9, which was used to transport drugs, seized by police as it had been used in crime. Stephens also had his Cherokee Jeep confiscated.

Detectives from SCIT were alerted to the conspiracy after customs officers intercepted a package destined for an address in Esher containing food items which had arrived on a British Airways flight from Guyana on April 23 last year.Two food tins containing Chinese sauce were X-rayed and drilled into and a white powder was discovered inside. The powder later turned out to be a kilogramme of cocaine with a street value of £100,000.Two days later a further package from Guyana containing two identical tins addressed to a flat in Thornton Heath were also intercepted. Inside the tins was a further kilo of cocaine.An undercover officer posing as a delivery man for the courier company delivered the first package to Beaumont-Griffin at his Esher address which was under surveillance.He was later observed taking the package in his Aston Martin to the Hajichambi’s home in Morden before leaving. A short while later Stephens arrived in his Jeep to collect it.Stephens was arrested in his vehicle shortly after leaving the property and the drugs package recovered. Sharan Hajichambi and Beaumont-Griffin were both detained at their homes shortly after.When officers searched the Hajichambi’s home they discovered a plastic bag containing a Tupperware box with white powder, two sets of electronic scales, spoon and milk tablets.They also found “dealer lists”, £2,700 in cash in a bedside drawer and a further £360 in Sharan Hajichambi’s handbag.When officers searched Stephens' home they found electronic scales, clear bags, dealer lists and a bag containing crack cocaine. In addition they found a stab proof vest and Taser stun gun.Another stun gun and travel documents to Guyana in the name of a convicted drug smuggler were found in his Jeep. Cash invoices showed Stephens had recently had £3,000 worth of upgrades carried out on his vehicle despite the fact he was on state benefits.A subsequent investigation identified a total of 19 packages coming into the UK from Guyana that are linked to the investigation. Financial records showed that since 2006, Stephens had transferred a total of £148,000 to Guyana.Detective Inspector Wendy Clay said following the case: “Stephens and his group had clearly been using the route from Guyana to Gatwick to bring in significant amounts of cocaine for their own selfish gain.“Surrey Police is committed to tackling head on the scourge of class A drugs and this case shows we will not tolerate their import, sale and supply.“The professionalism of the officers involved in the covert operation helped halt this conspiracy in its tracks and should serve as a warning to other criminal gangs that we will use all methods at our disposal to bring those responsible for importing cocaine into the country to justice.“In addition to the time they will serve in prison, both Stephens and Beaumont-Griffin have had their expensive cars taken away from them. This reinforces the message that crime doesn’t pay and if you use your vehicle whilst committing offences we will use the powers available to us to seize it.”Surrey Police will now seek a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize any available assets any of the group may have.

Jamil Young, 25, and Brian Walker, 23, are the known proprietors of the home and have been implicated in the alleged drug-dealing enterprise. Both were home at the time.James Peterson, 49, of Woods Edge Drive in Lewes was also arrested at the time.The raid was the conclusion of three months of investigation by Delaware and Maryland Police concerning drug distribution in Sussex and Wicomico counties, police said.The three men arrested have been charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, manufacturing cocaine, maintaining a dwelling for the the purpose of keeping controlled substances as well as other relates charges. All were arraigned and remanded to Sussex Correctional Institute in lieu of being able to post bail.

Susan Olsen, 51, was arrested on three counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place, two counts of delivery of heroin near certain places, one count of party to delivery of heroin near certain places and one count each of possession with the intent to deliver heroin near certain places, conspiracy to commit possession with the intent to deliver heroin and possession of narcotics.Thomas Oakley, 53, was arrested on charges of maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession with the intent to deliver heroin, conspiracy to commit possession with the intent to deliver heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.Steven Messner, 47, was arrested on charges of maintaining a drug trafficking place, delivery of heroin near certain places, deliver heroin near certain places, conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia.Officers from the Street Crimes Unit could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.Oakley, 53, was arrested on charges of maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession with the intent to deliver heroin, conspiracy to commit possession with the intent to deliver heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.Steven Messner, 47, was arrested on charges of maintaining a drug trafficking place, delivery of heroin near certain places, deliver heroin near certain places, conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia.Officers from the Street Crimes Unit could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Ellefson and a group of other men are accused of supplying the drugs that killed bull rider 21-year-old Bryan John Guthrie of Cheyenne last December and a Cheyenne woman last summer. On Monday, Downes ordered Ellefson's release to the custody of his daughter, Victoria Ellefson. She says he refused her request to go back to jail on Wednesday. Guthrie was the 2003 national junior bull riding champion.

MATHEW Stokes's 71-game career is teetering after he was arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with drug trafficking over the alleged purchase of one gram of cocaine.The World Anti-Doping Agency penalty for trafficking is a minimum ban of four years and can be a lifetime suspension. If Stokes is to play again he needs the more serious of the two charges reduced or dropped.Legal sources indicated yesterday that while there are provisions for the reduction of the WADA ban in its code - up to 75 per cent of a suspension can be removed, for example, if an athlete offers up information that leads to the conviction of others - there would be little scope for Stokes to appeal.The 25-year-old has told police that he purchased the gram of cocaine on January 19 for friends visiting from the Northern Territory. A conviction for possession, rather than trafficking - especially out of competition - could mean he escapes WADA punishment.A spokesman from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority told The Australian last night that the out-of-competition use or possession of stimulants is not prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Code.Stokes travelled to Melbourne last night, ahead of today's legal meeting, with sources indicating that player and club were told on Wednesday to be confident that the trafficking charge could be dismissed. According to evidence Stokes gave to police, the cocaine was neither for his own use nor procured for profit.

Similarly, telephone intercepts which discovered Stokes arranging to purchase the drug, do not indicate that he intended to use the drug or sell it. He was asked by the AFL to take a urine test on Wednesday, which may or may not vindicate this claim.

Stokes was said by Geelong chief executive Brian Cook to be "shattered and really struggling". He was visited by teammates at his home in Highton, near Geelong, during the morning before leaving with teammate James Kelly for meetings with officials and the club's leadership group. He returned to Highton in the late afternoon before leaving for Melbourne, where he was expected to meet with his management.If Stokes does succeed in having the trafficking charge downgraded or dropped and appears before the Geelong Magistrates Court on March 12 to face a single charge of possession, he will still face a lengthy spell on the sidelines imposed by the reigning premiers and approved first by the AFL.Geelong expects to announce later today what disciplinary action it will take against Stokes, who has been stood down indefinitely.Following a lengthy meeting at Skilled Stadium yesterday between the players' leadership group and Stokes, the penalties recommended by the players were forwarded to chief executive Brian Cook and the football department.The Geelong board will consider the recommendations today before announcing what sanctions it will impose.Evidence presented to the court during his bail hearing on Wednesday afternoon indicated that when the substance of his text messages and calls to alleged drug dealer Matthew Randall were revealed to him, Stokes admitted purchasing the cocaine for $500.Admitting that he purchased it for his visitors meant that he soon became the first AFL footballer to be charged with trafficking drugs.Police said they had no evidence of Stokes using cocaine.

charged Dewayne Bynum, 24, 4007 Harvey St., Monroe with possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, illegal possession of a firearm and three counts of distributing crack cocaine.An arrest affidavit said officers charged Bynum at his home, where they recovered a Hi Point .40-caliber handgun and drugs. The suspect said he was a convicted felon, but officers had not been able to confirm that at the arrest.No bond was set on the possession charge or the weapons charge, and bond was set at $25,000 for each of three warrants on the distributing charge.

Thomas (T.J.) Gleason, the 34-year-old chef at the Ruddy and Dean North Shore Steak House, and another man, Ralph Fleischmann, 40, have both been arrested on felony drug dealing charges, accused of selling $100 worth of cocaine at the bar. The restaurant, which sits just a block away from both the state Supreme Court building house and the NYPD 120th Precinct stationhouse in St. George, has long been a haunt for attorneys and police officers who work in the area. As authorities tell it, an undercover police officer walked in on the night of Jan. 14 and spoke with Gleason, telling him, “I need $100 of powder.” Gleason’s response, according to court papers, was “I’m out. I’ll make a call. Wait by the bar and I’ll let you know when he’s here.” Gleason then made a call to someone named “Pookie,” according to a law enforcement source, and about an hour and a half later, Fleischmann showed up. The officer gave Gleason $100, and after a conversation, “both defendants engaged in a transaction underneath the bar ledge,” according to court papers. After that, Gleason handed the officer a Ziploc bag and a plastic twist of cocaine, authorities allege.Authorities say Fleischmann was the restaurant’s manager, but both the bar’s owner, Danny Mills, and the current manager, Kim Hogan, said that’s simply not true. “Ralph never worked here,” she said. “Ralph has nothing to do with this bar.” Mills called the drug bust an “isolated incident,” sparked by a 311 complaint, and said the arrests shouldn’t reflect badly on his business or reputation. “We are a clean place,” Mills said. Gleason, he said, made a bad decision by calling someone up to get drugs at the request of a stranger. “He made a silly decision, helping a guy he didn’t know. And there are consequences.... he’s fired,” Mills said. “He made that choice, and for that he lost his job.” Mills also took issue with a statement in the report that Fleischmann and Gleason were arrested inside the bar. The two men, he said, were arrested outside of the building. Both Gleason, of Cooper Terrace in New Springville, and Fleischmann, of the 100 block of Townsend Avenue in Clifton, face charges of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, as well as third-, fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, said William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. They’ve since been released on $1,500 bail, pending return appearances to Stapleton Criminal Court on March 11. Neither could be reached for comment today.

Suresh Surendranath Nair is accused of killing both women at his Elizabeth Bay apartment last year.It is alleged that in November the 41-year-old murdered Brazilian student Suellen Domingues Zaupa, who died when she collapsed with breathing problems after taking cocaine.He is also charged with the manslaughter of Victora McIntyre, who also overdosed on cocaine at his home in February.The surgeon had been working at Nepean hospital and was suspended from practise last year. He did not apply for bail and his case will return to court later this month

Caro Quintero's Sonora cartel was tied to the 1985 torture and killing of an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar. Caro Quintero's brother, Rafael Caro Quintero, is in prison in Mexico for the slaying, but authorities never directly linked Miguel Angel to the crime.A. James Kolar, then the sergeant in charge of the Boulder narcotics unit, said police were called to the hotel after a maid found the money."He apparently went off and left the money in the room," Kolar recalled after Thursday's sentencing. "We were checking it out, and he came back to get it."Police didn't immediately arrest the man, but they followed him to a grocery store parking lot where they discovered an RV packed with nearly a half ton of marijuana. Police then questioned the suspect, who said he was working for the cartel.Following that trail, the investigation led to several suspects in Colorado and in Arizona, Kolar said."We had no idea that Mr. Quintero was involved," said Kolar, now the police chief in Telluride, a ski resort town in southwestern Colorado. "It wasn't until we got indictments from federal agents that witnesses started providing information that led to Quintero."Enrique Camarena Salazar was working for the DEA out of Guadalajara, Mexico, when he was kidnapped on Feb. 7, 1985, by five armed men who threw him into a car and sped away. He was tortured and beaten to death. The 37-year-old agent left behind a wife and three children.Caro Quintero's brother was convicted in Camarena's slaying. After his brother's arrest, federal authorities say Caro Quintero took over the operation that smuggled thousands of tons of marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. in the 1980s.Prosecutors said under Caro Quintero's direction, the cartel exported two to four tons of marijuana a month to Colorado between 1985 and 1988. It was distributed throughout the United States by aircraft and vehicle.Caro Quintero was indicted in Colorado in 1990 on charges that included smuggling marijuana in half-ton amounts in 1987. Prosecutors say he also conspired with two other people to import thousands of pounds of marijuana into Arizona and was recorded on the phone trying to sell marijuana to an undercover drug agent."The thing about this case is it demonstrates that it's not a matter of whether we're going to get these guys, it's a matter of when," said Jeffrey Sweetin, Denver DEA special agent in charge.Caro Quintero was arrested in December 2001 in Los Mochis, Mexico, and served a drug sentence in that country. He was extradited to the U.S. last February.Camarena's slaying was commemorated each year by students in Calexico, Calif., where he attended high school. Students wore red ribbons in the agent's memory. The remembrance expanded and was made national by Congress in 1988 as Red Ribbon Week, during which drug and violence prevention campaigns are held in schools each October.Camarena was a native of Mexicali, Mexico. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Calexico and El Centro, Calif., police departments before joining the DEA.